Mark Twain quipped: “Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.” While I love Twain, I bristle at this assessment of Godly people. Yet, I do recognize that this stereotype of “religious” people as boring, somber killjoys remains with us today. What can people of faith do to remediate such an unfriendly reputation?
Let’s start with what the Bible says. Read Genesis 1 again and notice how supremely joyful God is in the act of creation. See the Lord’s pleasure in stepping back each day to observe how that day’s directives have come into being. We witness there a deity in pursuit of goodness so that it can be shared with those God creates. The poetry of the Lord’s invention of the world evokes images of art, song, dance, and drama – all the ways humans will reflect the creativity of their maker. Hear the awesome delight God expresses on the sixth day: “God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good!” (Genesis 1:31 The Message).
When the Lord made humans “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:26), one of the ways we resemble our Parent is in this tremendous capacity for joy. Think how our bodies are programmed to receive pleasure – not only in somatic functions like eating, sleeping, and love-making – but also in the conviviality of friendship, the thirst for knowledge, the satisfaction of accomplishment, and the appreciation of beauty. This ability to be joyful is universal – uniting the “religious” and the “non-religious.” It’s God’s birth gift to humanity.
The only problem with “joy” is its elusiveness. Think of all the ways we have to amuse ourselves, especially in this information age of smart phones and other high technologies. They bring us new ways to “have fun” but they can’t guarantee happiness. In fact, while adding convenience and increased efficiency, technology has also found us new ways to become crueler to each other (cyber-bullying), and more distant (texting over talking).
The Bible tells us the way to joy is to follow God’s ways, as the Psalmist asserts:
The revelation of God is whole
and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of God are clear
and point out the right road.
The life-maps of God are right,
showing the way to joy.
The directions of God are plain
and easy on the eyes (Psalms 19:7-8 The Message).
The people of Israel delighted in the Torah because God was confiding to them the “operating instructions” for the human machine. The commandments explain what causes the machine to break down and stop functioning as God intended it. God intended us to have joy. Living out of sync with God’s ways limits and often blocks our ability to live harmoniously with our fellows and our God.
When Jesus criticized the legalism of the doctors of the Law of His day, it was not in order to diminish the gift that Torah represented to God’s people. Rather, Christ’s point was to expose the human tendency to shortcut the “spirit” of the Law by attending only to the “letter” of the rituals. Jesus affirms the rationale for Law: “If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. … I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature” (John 15:9-11 The Message).
Judaism and Christianity claim that the outcome of adherence to the spirit of God’s ways is a life of joyfulness. But somehow over our history the message has gotten distorted. When believers have concentrated on the rules – with judgment against those who break them – it hasn’t gone well for anyone. On the other hand, when people have tried to “sell” faith as a “ticket to Paradise” and “recipe for happiness on earth,” they end up painting an unrealistic picture of what God promises.
God’s joy is not a guarantee of the “good life” with its connotation of problem-free, easy-living. Remember what Paul writes from prison: “I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty” (Philippians 4:12-13 The Message). Frederick Buechner sums it up best in his definition of vocation: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
When we seek out such a place for our lives, no one will find us bad company.
For updates on my book, or more information about me, continue to check back to this blog! I will also be frequently updating my Facebook Author page found here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Katie-Hoyt-McNabb/1473116102939321, as well as my twitter account, @AuthorMcNabb.
2 Responses to Good Company